Main course
Pasta Carbonara
This pasta carbonara is rich, comforting, and deeply satisfying, built on a handful of simple ingredients that come together to create something far greater than the sum of their parts. It is the kind of dish that feels indulgent without being heavy, relying on good technique rather than complicated steps. When done well, carbonara is all about balance, silky sauce, savoury depth, and perfectly cooked pasta.
Ingredients
- 200 g pancetta
- 3 cloves garlic
- 50 g butter
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 400 g pasta (we use rigatoni)
- 4 eggs
- 2 egg yolks
- 50 g parmesan cheese (plus extra for serving)
- salt and pepper
Method
- In a large pan of salted, boiling water add the pasta and cook until al dente (8-10 mins)
- Place the butter and oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Once the butter is foaming add the gently crushed garlic cloves (its fine to leave the skins on) and the pancetta and fry until golden.
- While the pasta and pancetta are cooking, combine the 4 eggs, 2 egg yolks and grated Parmesan cheese in a bowl with a good grind on pepper
- Once the pasta and pancetta are cooked, remove the garlic from the frying pan. Using a slotted spoon transfer the pasta to the frying pan (off the heat). Don't worry if a little of the pasta water comes too.
- Pour the egg and cheese mix into the pasta and pancetta and mix thoroughly. The heat left in the pan will cook the egg mix. Add a tbsp or two of the pasta water if needed to loosen the sauce.
- Serve immediately with freshly ground black pepper and extra grated Parmesan. We sometime like to add some crushed chilli flakes for an extra pop of flavour!